Packing-box.



1.1. VANDERVEER.

PACKING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. 1915 VV/TNESSES //v l/E/V 7-0 a W Jr4/v J l/4/VOERl/EEH r COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH '50-. WASHINGTON n c JEAN J. VANDERVEER, OF BRA'ITLEBORO, VERMONT.

PACKING-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 13- 1916 Application filed February 17, 1915. Serial No. 8,767.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JEAN J. VANDERVEER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brattleboro, in the county of WVindham and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Packing-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in packing boxes, more particularly boxes for packing small articles such as artists crayons, cigarettes and the like. It is customary to provide such boxes with a cover that is readily removable, to expose the top of a box body in which the contents are in closed between four walls. The user ordinarily wishes to select and remove only one of the articles contained, an operation which is more or less troublesome when the box is full, and particularly if, in the case of crayons, he wants one of an under layer.

It is the object of the invention to provide so that in a box of that type, any part of either layer may be rendered easily accessible; so that the whole of both layers can be seen,

and the desired article selected individually without handling the others, and grasped by the fingers with ease. As this is accomplished by providing for lifting both layers so that their ends are exposed, to the general object above stated are added the specific objects of so providing that individual articles in the layers are not disturbed by the operation of lifting and are not in danger of falling out when lifted.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a box which can be manufactured inexpensively, which can be sealed perfectly when closed, and which while utilizing a movable section of the exterior of the box as a part of the structure, nevertheless does not require that such section be either large, or loose, or that it have any weakening effect on the general structure of the box.

It is also the object of the invention to provide the other advantages that are incidental to the disclosure herein made, and it is intended by suitable expression in the appended claims to cover whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention and suggest modifications thereof which may be made: Figure 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 is a side elevation in section on line 2-2 ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a slightly different box, closed, in section on a plane corresponding to the line 22 of 1g. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective of a modification showing the parts in a position cor responding to that of Fig. 2 with part broken away; and Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations in section of modifications.

In the drawings a box is seen having a cover 10 which may be fastened by a paper hinge 11 to the box body, whose walls consist of a bottom 12 and four sides 13 capable of holding the contents when the cover 1s removed. Lying across the bottom of the box body, within it and under the contents thereof, is a stiff piece of cardboard, paper or other material comprising a thin supporting element extending across the bottom of the box which is herein referred to asa slender beam because it resembles a beam in its function of lifting or sustaining weight. Having only the thickness of paper or cardboard or the like, so that it adds practically nothing to the requisite depth of box for holding the regular contents, it is truly slender. At the same time it is of sufiicient stiffness to lift the contents for the full width of the box when the beam itself is supported only in the middle. This ordinarily rests inactive in the bottom of the box,underlying the contents, but on occasions when it is desired to select and remove one of the articles, this beam lifts all of the articles to a position where they may be individually scanned and one of them selected and taken with the fingers. The ends of this beam'l are turned up as at 15, 15, at right angles into parallelism with each other, beside the sides 13 of the box. These upstanding parts are stiff and, when the beam is lying on the bottom, are flush with the sides of the box, not projecting above them nor noticeable to the eye. When the beam is lifted by any suitable means, as

hereinafter explained, these stiff upright sides rise with it and hold the articles from rolling off sidewise, which they would otherwise do when raised to the considerable degree which the invention makes possible. I

The, invention also provides means for raising the beam 14: by simple pressure of the users finger without disturbing the relation of the contained articles to each other as when pulled up by an underlying strap.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 this means consists in the provision of a movable part in what may be called the front exterior wall or slde of the box, 1: 6., the vertical Wallwhich opposite the hinge. Thismovable part 16 1s of cardboard like the wall of the box, and

consequently is stiff; and it has a stiff ex-' at 18 to the middle or rear portion of the bottom of the box, on the interior and. which extends forward thence and is at tached to the part 17. The parts 16 and 17 normally stand at right angles to each other and the top of the part 16 engages inside of the flange 10 of the cover when the cover is closed on thebody of the box, as seen in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3 the part 17 may be considered to be an extension'of the part 17 to the rear, and the part 14 a cross piece on top of it, with its ends 15 turned up, the part 17 (which is seen in longitudinal section in Fig. 3) being of the same width as parts 16 and 17 are seen to be in Fig. 1. Obviously, however, the part marked 17 in Fig. 3, might be of the full width of thebox bot tom, and be integral with the beam 141-, in which case it would lose its distinctive numeral 17. It is so represented in Figs. 1,

2 and 4 where the combined part has the numeral 14. 7

In operation one opens the box by removing the cover, whether itbe attached or unattached to the body of the box, and then with his finger the user presses downward and outward on the top of the middle of the front wall of the box body. Being so-pressed this movable part 16 swings outward and downward about the angle between the parts 16 and 17 as a pivot; and the part 17 simultaneously swings upward. In rising it lifts the broad sheet of paper herein designatedthe beam 14, flexing it or its support 17 if there be such separate part extending from front to back of the box. The beam is stiff in the lateral direction, a result which can be attained where the shape shown in Fig. 6 is used, by choosing paper that is stiff enough in the lateral direction and, if necessary, introducing a series of grooves 20 which break its stiffness in the direction from front to back. The attachment of the part 16 to the part17, and of that in turn to the broad part 14,'and ofthat in turn to the bottom 12 prevents the escape of this lifting means when the part 16 is pushed outward; In Fig. 1 the part 16 constitutes only a portion of the front wall of the box, and so the dislocation of these parts 16,17, 14:, is prevented by the fact that the part 14L is broader than the part 16 and therefore is held in by the remainder of the front wall whether it be I pasted down to the bottom 12 or whether it be loose thereon; but in Fig. 4: a form is shown in which the part 16 corresponding front wall; and in that case the dislocation is prevented by the rear attachment of the paper beam 14 to the paper bottom 12. In

either case it will be observed that the part 14 is an extra or additional piece not of itself forming part of the walls of the box body, butthat it is attached to the part 16 or 16 which does actually constitute a part of the exterior walls of the box body; and that by retained in their relations to each other by the upstanding stiff. supplementary side walls 15.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a box is shownin which the part 16 is a constituent part of the bottom 1:2. In this case the four side walls v13 of the box bodyare intact as is customary,

but a portion of the bottom is out out in any desired shape. For example, it may be circular. This portion 16" is attached by paste represented at 19 to the stiff paper beam 14". Theobeam is lifted by the user simply pressing his finger against the cut portion 16 of the bottom; It should be noted in this construction that although a hole is cut through the bottom of the box the full width of contents are liftable, without the hole extending across the box; and that the hole is closed, so that no contents can be extracted through it from the package, by the inside paperwhich constitutes the stiff beam 1 1", which extends across the box and covers area larger than the hole in the bottom that is made by the cutting of the part 16"; also that the contents are not accessible by pulling the part 16 outward, because the part 14 then acts as a bottom.. I/Vhen the box is filled, the contents keeps this paper 141 pressed down tight on the bottom and keeps the part 16 pressed down into its place. as a part of the bottom. .The paper 14". may either be pasted to the inside of the bottom as in the case of the paper 14 or it may be a simple card, lying loosely thereon and covering substantially the whole bottom, as the part 14:. In either case the box is safe against removal of contents throughthe opening in the bottom." In use such a package is handled by avery convenient motion,"

as the'person who has removed the cover and holds the box in his" left hand pushes with any finger on the particular part of the outside wall of the box, 16, 16"or 16", which operates to lift the beam 14, 14' orilL 1 a I claim as my invention: I 7

1. A box for packing small articles, having a cover removable to expose the contents, combined with walls comprising a bottom and sides; a thin contents-supporting element within the box, extending across its bottom under said contents and liftable from the bottom to raise the contents; an engagement between said element and a part of the exterior wall of the box; said part of the wall being movable with respect to the remainder of the wall, being not, of suitable position and extent to engage and lift all of the contents of the box and being adapted to lift said element when moved by pressure of the users fingers.

2. A box for packing small articles, having a cover removable to expose the contents, combined with walls comprising abottom and sides; a thin contents-supporting element Within the box, extending across its bottom under said contents; means whereby it may be lifted from the bottom by pressure, to raise the contents; and stiff upright pieces carried by the said element close'to the box sides, forming retainers for the contents when lifted.

8. A box for packing small articles, hav ing a cover removable toexpose the contents, combined with walls comprising a bottom and sides; a thin contents-supporting element within the box, extending across its bottom under said contents and liftable from the bottom to raise the contents; an attachment between said element and a part of the exterior wall of the box; said part of the wall being movable with respect to the remainder of the wall, being not of suitable position and extent to engage and lift all of the contents of the box and being adapted to lift said element when moved by pressure of the users fingers and not being adapted otherwise to lift all of the contents of the box; and means whereby said element holds in place said movable part of the wall, the whole being arranged and adapted for the said element to be lifted by the said movable part when the latter is pressed by the user out of its ordinary position.

at. A box for packing small articles, having a cover removable to expose the contents, combined with walls comprising a bottom and sides; a thin contents-supporting element within the box, extending across its bottom under said contents and liftable from the bottom to raise the contents; there being a movable part of one of the box walls normally standing vertical; and another element connected therewith, normally lying horizontally on the bottom, these two being adapted to act jointly as a lever to lift said first mentioned element and the contents by downward and outward pressure on said movable vertical part.

5. A box for packing small articles, having a cover removable to expose the contents, combined with walls comprising a bottom and sides; a thin contents-supporting element within the box, extending across its bottom under said contents and liftable from the bottom to raise the contents; there being a movable part of one of the box walls normally standing vertical; and another element connected therewith, normally lying horizontally on the bottom, these two being adapted to act jointly as a lever to lift said first mentioned element and the contents by downward and outward pressure on said movable vertical part, and a cover for the box closing over the top of said vertical part and thereby locking it when the box is closed.

6. A box for packing small articles, having a cover removable to expose the con tents, combined with walls comprising a bottom and sides; a thin contents-supporting element within the box, extending across its bottom under said contents; one part of the exterior wall of the box being movable with respect to the remainder of the wall and the whole being arranged and adapted for the said element to be lifted by the said movable part when the latter is pressed by the user out of its ordinary position; said movable part extending only a fraction of the width of the box and said element extending across substantially the whole width of the box, thereby raising the contents of the box along substantially the entire Width thereof.

Signed by me at Brattleboro, Vermont, this fifteenth day of February, 1915.

JEAN J. VANDERVEER.

Witnesses:

InnNnG. MATHER, AGNES A. CAINE.

Copies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

